Machine for steam ing and drying grain



(No Model.)

L. V. MOULTON.

MACHINE FOR STEAMING A-ND DRYING GRAIN.

No. 286,217. Patented 0089,v 1883.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT trie.

MACHINE FVOR STEAIVIING AND DR'YlKNG GRAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,217, dated October 9,- 1883. Application iiled May 17, 1881. Renewed September 1, 1882. Again renewed March 24, 1.*583. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.: v

Beit known that I, LUTHER V.. Moor/ron, a itizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Machine for Stealnin'g, Mixing, and Drying Grain,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of machines for steaming, mixing, and drying grain in which the grain is first subjected to the action oi' steam in a closed vessel, thereby partially'or wholly cooking it, and afterward in another vessel subjected to a mixing or stirring process, and also to the action of heat and a current of air, whereby it becomes mixed and dried.

The objects of my improvements are, fnst, to steam or cook the grain'with the least possible loss of heat by radiation; second, to provide means whereby more than one kind of grain may be steamed at the same time in the samevessel and the 'amount of treatment each 'Ir-ay receive can be regulated independently;

third, to provide means whereby said grain will be caused to pass into and be discharged from said vessel continuously and'at a uniform rate, and to regulate the quantity of each kind of grain thus passing through said vessel 5 fourth, to provide means whereby two or more kinds of grain may be mixedin definite and exact proportions, and such proportions regulated and changed at pleasure; fifth, t`o provide means of drying the grain by exposing it to the simultaneous action ofheat and a current of air; sixth, to provide the drying-cylinder with a greater amount of heating-surface, thereby increasing its capacity; seventh,

to utilize a current of hot air to accelerate the removal of moisture from the grain; eighth, to provide means of removing the water condensed in the steam-space of the drying-cylinder, and provide against exploding. said cylinder by excess of steam-pressure. I attain tlrese objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying'draivings, in which--- Figure l is a vertical .section of the entire device; Fig. 2, a plan of the steaming-vessel, with the hoppers and casing shown in dotted lines; Fig. 3, across-section of the dryingcylinder on the linel2, Fig. 4., a cross-section ofthe feed-cylinders; Fig. 5, another cross-section of the same, and Fig. 6 a plan of the diaphragm and disk for dividing the steamingvessel into two equal parts. Figs. 4 and 5are on a larger scale than the other iigures of the drawings.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout. A

A is the steaming-vessel, which consists of van outer cylinder, a, provided with a steamchamber, d, and covered with asbeslus or othea,1

be divided into two equal parts, and by re-l moving cf the interior of a form's a singlevessel. 1n each instance the entire vessel or each subdivision, as the case may be, is properly connected with the hoppers k k k' and feedcylinders B BB. I am thus enabled to operate uponfrom one to three kindsl of grain at the same time. The pipes e are closed atthe bottom and perforated along their sides-and connected with thesteam-chamber d. Steam, being admitted through the pipe f, will iill the space d and pipes e, and, flowing from the perforations in the said pipes, will rapidly heat and cook the contents of the vessel A. The pipes g are similar to the pipes e, but are connected directly to f, thereby enabling me to independently regulate the supply of steam admitted to the inner cylinder, d. v l

k -are conical hoppers under. the vessel A, which serve to conduct the contents of either the entire vessel A, or of its various subdivisions, as the case maybe, to the cylinders B.

Said hoppers k terminate in suitable squarey openings, and are provided with concave extensions, as shown'at Z in Fig. 5. These extensions serve to prevent the escape of the contents of the hoppers 7c, except as carried out in the chambers of the cylinders B as theyrevolve.

B are feed-eylinders, which revolve with the shaft o. Each consists of two parts, Z and m. m is fixed securely upon the shaft o, and is chambercd, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. l is IOO loose on said shaft, andis chambered, as shown in Fig. l and 5, the result being that when Z is slipped over m the two combined constitute a solid cylinder, and as Z is removed the chambers in m are opened to receive the contents of the hopper 7.', which, by the revolutionl of said cylinder B, will be discharged into the trough I with regularity and precision. I am thus enabled with certainty to determine the exact amount of grain passing through the vessel A or each of its com part-ments, as oceasiou may require. As the grain enters at the top and is discharged at the bottom of the vessci A, it must necessarily receive uniform treatment. As the cylinders B revolve with the same relative speed, Iean bytheirrclative ad-` justment determine the quantity discharged by each. I am thus enabled to mix the grain in any desired proportions.

a a" a are guide-rods, which are forked at their upper ends in such form as to engage with the grooves in the hubs of Z l Z. Said guir'le-rods are held in position by the rods p p '1. n" slides freely on p, and is actuated .by jr, thus providing for the independent adjustment-ol' the central cylinder, B. Either of the other guide-rods a may be arranged in like manner, thus providing for the independent adjustment of all the cylinders B.

I is a troughto conduct the grain discharged by the cylinders B to the drying-cylinder E. Said trough may be perforated to a-llow any water to escape that may drip from the vessel A. ll' desirable, separate troughsmay be adjusted under the cylinders B, leading to separate cylinders or vessels.

(l is a casing, which supports the vessel A, shalt o, and one end of the cylinder E, and

also serves to retain the current of air fromsaid cylinder and conduct it away by, means' of a pi pe attached at H. In one side of C is a circular opening, around which is fixed the rim or flange q, which serves as a journal for.

the cylinder E, which is actuated by the shaft o and gears I) D'.

Y E is the drying-cylinder, and consists of a cylinder, r, mounted so as to revolve freely on the rims or flanges q and y, and also with the discharging end lower than the receiving end. Said cylinder r is also provided with buckets s. Each bucket is nearlya complete cylinder.

A portion of its circumference is left open, as

shown, and the sheet of which said bucket is composed is turned back upon the outside of and extended to the opening of the adjoining bucket, where the edges of both are secured to each other, so as to be steam-tight. The curves of the bucketssare such that the steam is allowed to 'penetrate between them and heat their entire surface. I am thus enabled to obtain a large amount of heating-surface within a given cylinder.

t are steam-pipes placed within the buckets s, to aid in heating the contents of said buckets. Said bucket-s and pipes may be made'of corrugated metal, thus still further increasing their heating-surface.

u are hollow diaphragms or heads with circular openings 'v in their centers. Said diaphragme serve to distribute the steam to the pipes t, and also to the inclosed spacesbetween the buckets s and the cylinder r. They also serve to prevent the escape of thecontents ot' the buckets s at their ends.-

' w wX are steam-pipes for supplying steam lo the 'cylinder E.

F is a casing which serves to support the lower end of E, and also to receive the grain discharged from E. It also serves to conduct the current of air from the pipe I-I to the cylinder E. Said casing also supports a gland, G, to the outer part of which the pipe a1X is firmly secured, and within the inner part ol' which the pipe lw revolves; rIhe packing fr; serves to prevent the escape of steam. The valve vz seryes to 'remove the water from the steam-space of the cylinder Il. Said valve is closed by a spring, and is opened at each revolution of the cylinder E by coming in contact with*theadjustablc bar c. Said valve :also operates as a safety-valve for the cylinder ll. As the pressure of steam exceeds the resistance of the spring, the valve opens andallows the steam to escape.

H is a pipe, which maybe supplied with either hot or cold air by means of any convenient device.

rIhe operation of the cylinder E is as follows: `As the grain is discharged from the trough l', it falls into one of the buckets s. As the said cylinder revolves, the grain is carried to ils upper part, where it is discharged from the bucket s and falls across the axis of said cylinder, thus becoming separated and exposed' to the current of air, and also becoming mixed. The grain falls into a bucket at the lower side of the cylinder, and the operation is repeated. In consequence of the inclination ot' the axis of the cylinder E, the grain falls a little nearer the lower end ,of said cylinder each time, until eventually it is discharged into the casing F, from which it can be conveyed away in any convenient manner. The mechanical action of the cylinder E, the heat imparted te the buckets s and pipes z., together with the current of air passing through said cylinder, result in rapidly drying the grain.

By excluding steam from A, wet grain may be dried, or grain in ordinary condition kilndried Without cooking. By a strong blast of `air through the pipe H, smut, dust, or other light impurities may be removed. By slightly steaming wheat or other grain in A and drying it in E, the onring qualities of such grain may be improved.

I do not l-'mit theuse, of my machine to the treatment o`f grain exclusively, but claim its use for steaming, mixing, drying, or cleaning any suitable materials. p

What I claim and Wish to secure is as fol- ,lowsz l, A machine for mixing, steam ing, and dry;

ing grain, consisting of upright cooking-vessel IOO IIO

Meer? A, constructed and arranged as above delscribed, hoppers kk k, feed-buckets m m m, trough I, and longitudinal drying-cylinder E, arranged substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

2. In combination with cylinder A, the steam-chamber d andpipes e.

3. In combination with cylinder A, chamber d, and pipes e, the cylinder b, und thev pipes g. p

4. The cylinder A and the hoppers k k 7.', in combination with the cylinder b.

5. In combination With the shaft o, the feedcylinders B B B, consisti ng of the parts l and r 5 m, ai'dtIe-rodsp px and n n* n, arrangedsubstantiully as described, :md for the purposes above set forth.

6. The combination of steaming orcooking `D D', and cylinder vessel A, hoppers k, shaft o, cylinders B, gears 7. Gylindricaglly-shaped buckets s, constructed of a. kcontinuous sheet of metal formed, folded, turned back, and secured as specified, in combination with cylinder E.

8. In combination with cylinder r, the pipes t.

9. In combination With the buckets s, the pipes t.

10. The combination of buckets s, pipes t,

. and diaphragms u.

11. The combination of cylinder r, buckets 3o s, pipes t, diaphragms u, and pipes un LYMAN G. BrcnLov, WM. T. DYER. 

